1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to improvement in syringes, and more particularly pertains to new and improved sheathing means for the hollow injection needles used with the syringes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The medical community has come to utilize disposable instrumentation with a passion. One of the prime examples of this is the syringe, which is a medical instrument used for the injection and drawing of fluids from the body. These syringes are used once and then thrown away. The most common type of syringe utilized is a hypodermic syringe which utilizes a hypodermic needle, a hollow needle of a length sufficient to inject fluids under the skin.
Although the hypodermic disposable syringe works to the satisfaction of all concerned, a critical problem has occurred as a result of the rise in communicable diseases, such as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS, in the general populace of patients being administered by the medical profession. The potential presence of every patient administered to by a medical technician or doctor having a highly contagious disease communicable through a patient's body fluids, places the heretofore nuisance pricks from used hypodermic needles suffered by the medical and nursing profession in a much more serious light. Each inadvertent prick now has the potential of passing a highly contagious and even fatal disease to the medical professional.
Although medical professionals are highly trained, skilled workers, the care and attention with which they perform their tasks are insufficient to safeguard their health and their lives in every situation. Of most concern are the emergency trauma situations wherein a group of professionals are working on a single individual in an attempt to save his life. Such a situation invariably leads to accidental stabs with used hypodermics. Hand-manipulated needle sheaths are for the most part ignored in such emergency and highly emotionally charged situations. What is needed is a hypodermic syringe which, with a minimum of manipulation after use, encases its needle in a complete enclosure.